West Ham sign goalkeeper Hermansen from Leicester

West Ham have completed a £20m deal to sign goalkeeper Mads Hermansen from Leicester City.

Graham Potter has been on the lookout for a new option between the sticks after Lukasz Fabianski departed as a free agent, leaving Alphonse Areola and Wes Foderingham as the Hammers’ two senior shot-stoppers.

West Ham were strongly linked with a move for Botafogo’s John Victor, but reports this week suggested they had pulled out of that deal.

Instead, they have tied Hermansen to a five-year contract, with the Denmark international arriving after two seasons with Leicester.

“I’m happy to join West Ham United,” he told the club’s website. “I’ve felt that West Ham would be a good fit for me and my style of play for a long time. It feels natural to be here – it was a very easy decision.

“The fans can expect me to be brave and bring good energy to help the team in the best way I can. This is a great step in my career. I have huge ambitions and I can’t wait to get started.”

West Ham United is delighted to confirm the signing of Danish goalkeeper Mads Hermansen from Leicester City.

— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 9, 2025

Hermansen helped the Foxes win the Championship in 2023-24 after arriving from Brondby, though he was unable to help them survive in the Premier League last season.

The 25-year-old made 27 Premier League appearances last term, though he only kept one clean sheet and participated in just three Leicester victories as they finished 18th.

He recorded a save percentage of 63.3%, which was the fourth-worst of all goalkeepers to play at least 10 Premier League matches, after Alex Palmer (58.9%), Jose Sa (59.7%) and Bart Verbruggen (60%).

Hermansen was presented to the London Stadium crowd ahead of Saturday’s friendly versus Lille, and he could make his debut at Sunderland in next week’s season opener.